In the Catholic Church, July is set apart for devotion to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus.
As far back as the first century, Pope Saint Clement I, in his First Letter to the Church at Corinth, exhorted some of the faithful , “Let us fix our gaze on the Blood of Christ and realize how truly precious It is, seeing that it was poured out for our salvation and brought the grace of conversion to the whole world.”
Private devotion to the Precious Blood, among individuals, religious orders, and localities, continued to flourish throughout history. However, it wasn’t until 1849 that the feast was extended to the universal Church by Pope Pius IX, at the encouragement of the superior general of the Fathers of the Most Precious Blood. The popularity of the devotion was largely thanks to the preaching of St. Gaspar del Bufalo, who founded the Missionaries of the Most Precious Blood in 1815 and preached the merits of the Precious Blood in Italy. From there, the devotion spread.
Formerly celebrated on July 1, the Most Precious Blood does not have a separate feast in the current calendar, but we turn our attention to Christ’s saving Blood all this month.
During the month of July, find devotional items and books to inspire you in your devotion to the Precious Blood. Devotion to the Precious Blood is tied intrinsically to devotion to the Sacred Heart. Embrace your devotion to the Precious Blood and the Sacred Heart by starting your day with the Morning Offering. Get a beautiful and reverent Morning Offering Prayer card from the gift shop and continue to be inspired in your prayer with a beautiful Divine Mercy Red Crystal Rosary.
In addition, many saints have had a personal devotion to the Precious Blood and encouraged the devotion for others. Among these saints are Saint Catherine of Siena, to whom is attributed the Constant Prayer to the Precious Bloodr,
“Precious Blood, ocean of divine mercy: Flow upon us!
Precious Blood, most pure offering: Procure us every grace!
Precious Blood, hope and refuge of sinners: Atone for us!
Precious blood, delight of holy souls: Draw us! Amen.”
Learn more about Saint Catherine’s spirituality in her Dialogues. Discover the life of the Stigmatists, who embraced the Blood of Christ shed on the Cross, in The Stigmatists: Their Gifts, Their Revelations, and Their Warnings by Paul Kengor.
Find all these products and more during this month of the Precious Blood at FloresMariae.com.